Inside The Bills

Just days before training camp the Bills released veteran DE Mark Anderson. It leaves the Bills with just one proven pass rusher in Mario Williams at the DE/OLB spot depending on exactly what Manny Lawson’s role will be in the defense. But GM Doug Whaley is very confident in the young talent he has on the roster to flourish now that they’ll have the opportunity to grow on the field.

“I feel pretty good about it,” Whaley said. “We think the competition will make people better and it makes people, let the cream rise to the crop and before Mario was in the league he didn’t have any sacks so this is going to give an opportunity for guys to show what they have and maybe become the next Mario.”

Bills head coach Doug Marrone echoed Whaley’s comments.

“We feel we have some good young players there. Jerry Hughes, (Jamie) Blatnick, (Kourtnei) Brown,” said Marrone. “We feel very comfortable about how that position is going to develop and we’re excited for all those guys.”

Blatnick was certainly a player that flashed ability in the spring camps. That will have to naturally continue with the pads on here at camp. Hughes however, is the player that the Bills are likely banking on the most knowing he’s had time on the field the last three seasons as a rotational reserve behind top flight pass rushers like Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis.

With the release of Mark Anderson the pool of competition got smaller at the all important outside linebacker/defensive end position for the Bills. Yes, Mario Williams is the obvious starter for one of the roles, but suddenly it’s a position whose prime candidates to land the other starting job are newcomers.

Free agent signee Manny Lawson and Jerry Hughes, acquired in a trade with Indianapolis, are now the prime candidates competing for the role opposite Williams.

Defensive coordinator Mike Pettine had this to say about each of the new acquisitions.

“Manny is a veteran player so we got a good chance to study him on tape. A lot of good reps on tape from when he was
at Cincinnati and also dating back to San Fran,” said Pettine. “He’s a professional and we’re looking forward to taking advantage of his skill set. He’s not just one of the smartest players on the team, but one of the smartest players in the NFL.”

“I think what’s helped him is a lot of their system has the same roots,” said Pettine of Hughes’ time with Indianapolis. “Chuck Pagano coming from Baltimore brought a system with him where a lot of the terminology that was similar so there was a lot of carry over. And he’s another one of those guys that’s been coachable. Coach O’Neil has done a nice job with him spending extra time studying tape and making sure he got in the playbook. I think he’s excited because he sees a role for himself on the team as do we.”

In the spring Mark Anderson was diligently working his way back from an injury that forced him to miss the last 12 games. He participated in practices in the spring and signs are optimistic that he’ll be participating even more in practice come training camp. Whether he’ll be full go is a wait and see, but defensive coordinator Mike Pettine already has a plan for working him back into the flow of things defensively.

“I think we’ll start with third down for Mark and work our way backwards,” said Pettine. “I think when he’s healthy he can be an elite pass rusher. His body of work is evidence of that. Here’s a guy that as much as maybe he wants to rush the passer he has value on early downs as well.

“With (outside linebackers) coach (Jim) O’Neil he’s done a good job of buying in. He could think to himself that he’s a designated pass rusher and doesn’t need to sink his teeth into the playbook and the rest of our stuff. But that hasn’t been the case. He’s making the effort to learn it and there will be times in packages on first and second down where he’s out there as one of our edge players.”

Training camp is closing in. Be sure to stay close to Buffalobills.com as we address the most pressing questions facing the team as they get set for the 2013 season under new head coach Doug Marrone. Here is the latest edition of questions from you the Bills fan from AskChris@bills.nfl.net and on Twitter @ChrisBrownBills.

1 – Hi Chris:

There were several players still rehabbing during the minicamp. What is their prognosis for the start of training camp? Kyle Williams, Leodis, Chris Hairston come to mind. What was Chris Hairston’s injury? Also, how is Zebrie Sanders doing with his rehab and where is he being slotted along the line? Finally, are Erik Pears, Mark Anderson and Torell Troup 100% yet?

Thanks,
Gerald in Rochester

CB: The following players are expected to be full go that were not 100 percent recovered from offseason rehabs and surgeries.

Obviously, a setback in preparations for training camp could change things. To our knowledge Hairston had a lower body injury.

Mark Anderson participated on a limited basis in the spring. It’s expected that his workload at training camp will be incrementally increased as camp wears on.

Zebrie Sanders and Erik Pears did participate on a limited basis in the spring practices. All signs point to them being full go for training camp as well. They’ve both lined up exclusively at offensive tackle.

Torell Troup was full go in the spring and worked mainly with the second team at defensive tackle.

2 – Hey Chris,

Looking at the situation with J. Byrd this year & going back as far as Jabari Greer, & even as recent as Andy Levitre situation , the Bills have seemed to almost drag their feet when it comes to re-signing their future star players. Sometimes waiting till their contracts are up (like Greer & Levitre) to try & re-sign them we wind up losing said players that would be corner stones of the team for years to come.Yet others they sign way to prematurely (?) Also if signed before, we may be able to get them at a better price rather than wait & let them test the market.

With all that being said, C.J. being the dynamic back that he is, also given the fact that everyone is thinking he will be even a bigger presence in the new offense, do you see the Bills possibly trying to extend him next year ? I think if we follow the same path taken in the past with other good players mentioned earlier, if he gets the chance to get anywhere near the FA market he’s gone for the big bucks !!

Thanks as always for your insight & keep up the great work we all appreciate you !

Mr. T from Ft. Myers via Nashville

CB: I think your point is an astute one. Of course said player has to be willing to negotiate a new deal and some players have agents that want to wait for the price tag to rise. Now while you’re right in mentioning the players that did get away, Buffalo has also taken a proactive approach in retaining some players long term by signing them to extensions sooner rather than later. Kyle Williams is one example. Kraig Urbik is another.

Your point with C.J. is well taken. I think another player that should merit this kind of ‘sign them early’ consideration is Alex Carrington. It’s clear that the defensive staff believes he could do big things in this defense, and he’s entering the final year of his rookie deal before he becomes unrestricted. Why not lock him up long term now before he performs like the Bills defensive coaches believe he will?

3 – Chris:

I was surprised that EJs contract was for 4 yrs instead of a 5-year contract that is permissable under the CBA terms. This means that his contract and Gilmores will expire the same year. Do you have a reason why the team did not sign EJ for 5 years, considering the confidence they appear to have in him? Conrad in Elma

CB: First of all, Gilmore signed a four-year rookie contract with the Bills and will be a free agent after the 2015 season. Manuel under his four-year deal will be a free agent after 2016.

Under the new collective bargaining agreement, all NFL first-round draft picks can have four-year contracts with a non-negotiable fifth-year option, although not all will receive it. Since the new CBA went into effect four-year contracts for first-round picks have been the rule, not the exception.

Proof of that comes in the fact that of the first-round picks signed to this point, only Ziggy Ansah, the fourth overall pick to the Lions has a five-year deal among them.

In the grand scheme of things if Manuel pans out as expected, he’ll be re-signed at least a year before his rookie contract expires.

4 – Hey Chris —

Very simple question…Who would win in a foot race between CJ, TJ and Marquise Goodwin?

CB: I’ll first let coach Marrone take a shot at answering this question since he addressed in a one-on-one interview with Buffalobills.com.

“As a coach the earlier it can get done the better,” Marrone said. “I’d be a fool to sit here and say otherwise. The earlier the better, but again if you make decisions early and no one can see those decisions with the team then you wind up hurting your football team. So I’m hoping the decision and the timeline really relies on the players that are in competition and they have to separate themselves. And when you give people enough reps they will separate. At what point? I don’t know.”

Personally first-year coaches know that’s a position where a starter needs to be entrenched at least a couple of weeks before the regular season. I believe by the close of the second preseason game, the third preseason game at the latest we’ll have an answer from Marrone and his staff.

Bills DE/OLB Mark Anderson played with Chicago 8-time Pro Bowl LB Brian Urlacher, who promptly announced his retirement Wednesday, the first four years of his NFL career (2006-2010). Anderson, who will be appearing on the John Murphy Show tonight with fill-in host Sal Capaccio, was coming in as a rookie in 2006 with Chicago talked about how welcoming Urlacher was in his first days with the Bears.

“He was a good dude. When I met him he introduced himself and he wasn’t a veteran that tried to overpower rookies,” said Anderson. “He taught me a lot about being a professional with work ethic and I commend him for that. He’s a great guy.”

When it comes to Hall of Fame discussion, Anderson sees Urlacher as a shoo-in.

“From what I saw I think he’s got to be a first ballot (Hall of Famer),” Anderson said. “He’s been in the league for 13 years and playing at a high level. He basically controlled that whole defense. Whatever he said is what we did. He was like a coach out there.”

Anderson felt that Urlacher, among the current Bears, was most revered by the Chicago fans.

“Urlacher, he was Chicago,” said Anderson. “If you ask me personally they should retire his jersey. He meant so much to the whole city. But when I think of Urlacher I think of a hard worker and somebody that I would like to model my game after. I was just glad I had the privilege to play with him and I wish him the best.”

It was a long, difficult road back to the field for DE Mark Anderson, who needed a pair of surgeries to repair a knee injury that cost him the last 11 games of the 2012 season. Anderson, who is finally back on the practice field, admitted last year was a tough one to endure.

“You know me, but that’s tough for any player,” said Anderson. “Anybody that’s a competitor you want to be on the field. They brought you here for a reason so you want to help the team out. It was real tough, a lot of hard work and a lot of adversity, so I kind of had to stay focused and try to stay healthy.”

Anderson is eager to get back up to full speed, especially after seeing the plans for Buffalo’s defense under coordinator Mike Pettine.

“Shoot it was a great deal bringing this coaching staff over to this defense,” said Anderson. “We’ve got great playmakers on this team. You’re going to see a lot of guys do a lot of different things. You can already see it with guys flying around making plays. It’s going to be fun.”

I enjoy your column and follow it virtually every week. Thank you for the good work. The Bills tend to steal defeat from the opponents during the last minute of the game. What is the strategy to address this issue from the new coaching staff?

Regards,
C.J. Wong

CB: Well the first step has been an ultra-competitive and demanding offseason conditioning program. To a man, every player has said the program has been extremely challenging. It’s designed to have the players properly conditioned for fast-paced play and to have some gas left in the tank come the waning minutes of the fourth quarter.

I think the personnel department made a point of adding players that not only had talent, but a track record of toughness in an effort to add some grit to the roster. These are initial steps, but they will help the team’s fortunes late in games.

2 – Chris:
Thanks for all the great insight you provide. I have a few questions for you:

1) I know the Bills released John Potter last year. Can you tell me if he signed with anyone, and why didn’t the Bills entertain bringing him back for kicking competition at camp?
2) I feel Robert Woods is a great addition to this team and he reminds me of former # 1 draft pick in 1979, Jerry Butler. In your opinion, are there similarities between them?

3) In a recent radio interview Bills (DE) Mark Anderson sounded as if he is still having knee issues, and he didn’t sound too comfortable moving to the linebacker spot. I know the Bills are building this roster with the idea of players contributing in multiple position on defense. Will the Bills keep him around just to be a specialty rusher, or could he be released before or during training camp?
Thanks
Joe

Blasdell

CB: Potter to my knowledge is not in the league right now. The main reason he wasn’t brought back was because he was a kickoff specialist only. He wasn’t an especially accurate field goal kicker. Then add in the fact that Buffalo drafted Dustin Hopkins in round six, who is an accomplished field goal kicker and a solid kickoff man and Potter would not be a realistic part of a competition with Hopkins and Lindell. He’d just be taking reps away from the other two. Not practical.

The Bills, much like you, are excited about Woods too because he’s a polished, NFL ready wideout. He should be able to contribute right away in this offense. I don’t know if he’s quite as explosive as Jerry Butler when he came out, but he’s a talent in his own right and has above average speed.

Mark Anderson’s troublesome knee is going to become a concern if it does not allow him to do what makes him an effective player on the field. He had two surgeries through the course of last season, which ultimately landed him on injured reserve. We’ll try to get an accurate update on his situation when OTAs start up here next week. If he’s healthy and available I would expect Mike Pettine will find a role for him.

3 – Chris,

Love the work that you do on buffalobills.com. I got a question for you, as I’m sure most people do when they email you. Now that Chris Kelsay has retired, is Mario Williams going to be taking up jersey number 90? I remember Kelsey wouldn’t give it up last year, but obviously that problem is no longer there.

Thanks for the hard work,

John W

CB: Thanks for the kind words. As it has been explained to me Mario has chosen to keep jersey number 94, which I’m sure has every Bills fan with a Mario jersey breathing a sigh of relief.

4 – Hey Chris ,

I was just wondering if Kyle Williams has decided to or has gotten surgery on his other foot . Toward the end of last season i remembering that there where reports of his foot giving him some trouble & that he was going to wait until after the pro bowl so he could get the surgery done . To this point I haven’t read anywhere if he has had that done. If after the surgery he had last year he felt a 100 times better & if he had both feet done he may be even more of a force than he has been.
Well thanks again for all you do for the fans !!

Mr. T from Fort Myers via Nashville

CB: Yes, Kyle Williams did have surgery on his other Achilles in mid-February. He’s still not cleared to participate in any way at this time just three months removed from surgery. So it’s clear, much like his surgery last year it was not a ruptured Achilles that can take up to a year to heal. Instead it was a frayed Achilles. In such an instance doctors detach the Achilles, repair and strengthen, then lay it back down and re-attach it. Rehab last year was about five months.

When Kyle is ready to discuss it we’ll have the details on his outlook for you.

5 – Chris,

Thanks for the excellent coverage on the 2013 NFL draft. Now that it’s over, could you explain exactly how the Bills work their “Board” with photos or diagrams. You can use fictitious names but I’d like to follow how the have the players ranked and then how they work the board as the draft is proceeding. Is it set up in columns by position and in rows by ranking? I have a hard time visualizing how it’s set up. I would appreciate a detailed explanation or if you could create an article for it that would be even better.

Thanks,
Ed White

CB: Actually you’ve got a good handle on it. Positions run across the top of the board from left to right with players grouped by position vertically in columns underneath those position headings. Then the draft grades run down the left side of the board in order 1-7. So a player at the top of the board will have a first-round grade all the way across no matter the position. And so on down the board.

The Bills also have a priority free agent board by position so they can effectively target the best of the undrafted prospects too.

Mark Anderson has worked hard to return to the playing field following a pair of knee surgeries after suffering a torn lateral meniscus back in Week 5 at San Francisco. Unfortunately it’s not looking like Anderson will be able to get back on the field this season.

When asked how Anderson has fared this week in practice, head coach Chan Gailey admitted he was not optimistic.

“He did some things today and is about where he’s been the last couple of weeks,” he said. “So I’m not (optimistic).”

Anderson has practiced the past few weeks, but hasn’t been full go and was inactive last week. He was dressed for the Week 15 game against Seattle, but did not play.

Dorin Dickerson was back at practice just three days removed from being carted off late in the loss to the Dolphins last weekend with an ankle injury.

Mark Anderson was also on the practice field on a limited basis as he tries to get back on the field for the last game of the season. He hasn’t played since Week 5.

“We’ve almost kind of hit a wall with him coming back, but he’s going to try to go and he wants to,” said head coach Chan Gailey of Anderson. “It’s not from lack of want to, it’s not coming as fast as we had hoped at this point. It went very fast for a while and it’s kind of hit a wall.”

Here’s the rest of Buffalo’s limited players from Wednesday’s practice.

There were a host of injured Bills that either missed last week’s game or were injured this past Sunday. Fortunately a bunch of them are well enough to practice here on Wednesday. Head coach Chan Gailey ran down the list of guys that will be able to get back on the field today.

Gailey began with Dorin Dickerson, who was carted off the field last weekend, but will practice.

“Looks like he’s going to be able to go and practice today. So it looks like he’ll be okay,” said Gailey. “(Marcus) Easley is going to go. He’s going to try to do some things in practice. Chris White is going to try to do some things in practice today. I don’t think any of them will be what we term practice, but limited practice.”

When asked about Mark Anderson’s season long knee rehab, Gailey said Anderson would practice, but they still don’t have a clear picture for him on Sunday.

“We’ll see what he’s got,” Gailey said. “We’ve almost kind of hit a wall with him coming back, but he’s going to try to go and he wants to. It’s not from lack of want to, it’s not coming as fast as we had hoped at this point. It went very fast for a while and it’s kind of hit a wall.”

DE Mark Anderson was active for last week’s game, but didn’t play as he was an emergency fill-in only if necessary. This week he won’t even be active.

Head coach Chan Gailey declared Anderson out for Sunday’s game in Miami.

“Mark Anderson tried to do some things, but couldn’t. He just couldn’t keep progressing so he’s going to be out for the game,” said Gailey.

Anderson was limited in practice all week as he never got around to practicing fully at any point. He has not played coming off a pair of knee procedures since Week 5. Gailey said he is not ready now to assess whether he has a chance to play in the season finale against the Jets next week.

Special teams LB Chris White is also out for Sunday’s game. White is dealing with a hamstring injury that kept him from practicing all week.

Bills DE Mark Anderson was dressed for last week’s game, but was only going to see playing time in an emergency. That emergency never arose. So what about this week?

Head coach Chan Gailey indicated that he may very well play on Sunday in Miami, but there are some decisions to be made in terms of numbers on special teams that could impact whether Anderson is active or inactive this weekend.

“He has a better chance,” said Gailey of Anderson. “I don’t know how much progress he’s making. I’ve got to talk to the defensive coaches after we watch the (practice) film, and get their input as to where we think he is because that’s a decision you have to make a lot of times is Mark Anderson might not play or he might, versus Chris White who can go play on some special teams and probably would if he’s ready. So who’s up and who’s down? Those are the decisions you have to make.”

Chris White has missed the last two days of practice with a hamstring injury, but Gailey said White is likely to be a game time decision even if he doesn’t practice tomorrow.

Mark Anderson came back for a second straight day of practice Thursday after returning to the practice field for the first time in nine weeks Wednesday. It was a good sign concerning his chances of being back in the lineup Sunday against Seattle.

“He was in more (drills) today and made more progress today,” said head coach Chan Gailey after Thursday’s practice. “It’s encouraging for him to be ready for this week.”

Knowing Anderson hasn’t been in a game since Week 5, if he does play it sounds as though the plan would be to ease him back in.

“What you try to do is if you do play him you’re going to limit his plays,” said Gailey. “That’s how you try to handle it. You don’t ever say, ‘Gosh when is it too long? When is it ready?’ You can go back and forth on that. They say he’s ready then I’ve got to go by what they say.”

He was limited in practice Wednesday, but it was still progress for Mark Anderson to be back out practicing with his teammates for the first time since Week 5.

“Today went pretty well,” said Anderson. “I just kind of went out there and worked out doing individual drills, just getting back out there, just trying to get back into the flow of things and everything went well.”

For Anderson it’s been a difficult road back. After initially getting surgery in mid-October, Anderson’s torn lateral meniscus required a second procedure.

“It’s been difficult, but it’s something that came up and I had to get it done, had to get the surgery and go through a little adversity, but now I’m back on track and we’re just trying to take it one day at a time.”

Bills head coach Chan Gailey didn’t rule Anderson out for making a return Sunday saying the pass rusher has a “slight chance.” Anderson just wants to get to Thursday first.

“Right now I’m just taking it one day at a time,” he said. “Today was my first day back, come out tomorrow see how everything feels, I might do a little bit more with a little more reps. Like I said just take it one day at at a time and see how everything works.”

How Anderson feels Thursday morning will be the key to the rest of his practice week.

“Tonight I’m going to have to do a lot of ice treatments and different stuff to stop the swelling, so there won’t be any swelling tomorrow,” said Anderson. “Then wake up tomorrow and roll out of bed and see how everything is and if everything is good be back on the field tomorrow.”

Bills DE Mark Anderson, out since Week 5 with a torn lateral meniscus in his knee, will practice here on Wednesday.

That according to head coach Chan Gailey.

“Yes, he’ll be on the field today,” Gailey said. “I don’t know how long he’ll go. Conditioning is part of it. We’ve got to let him get some reps and get his feet back under him, but he’ll be on the field, which is great.”

When asked if there’s a possibility that he’ll play this week, Gailey left the door open.

“There’s a slight chance he’ll play this week, there is. It depends on how he feels and goes through practice,” said Gailey. “Does he get really sore? You know how that goes. We’ve just got to wait and see toward the end of the week how he feels after a few days of practice.”

While Fred Jackson’s season is over with a knee injury, Buffalo might be getting two players that have been out a while back this week.

That according to Bills head coach Chan Gailey.

“We’ve got some guys coming back,” said Gailey. “Mark (Anderson) is going to do some stuff tomorrow, maybe we can get him back. We get Aaron (Williams) back it looks like this week. We’re getting some guys back. We’re still hopefully we’ll get Eric (Wood) back, not this week, but maybe for the last two if we get fortunate.”

Anderson is presumably going to push his knee hard Tuesday with the athletic training and strength and conditioning staff to see how it responds. How that goes will likely determine whether he’s cleared to practice come Wednesday. He’s been out since Week 5 with a torn lateral meniscus that required a pair of surgical procedures.

Williams meanwhile has been practicing the last couple of weeks, but has been limited. He’s been out with a knee injury since Week 9.

Eric Wood, Mark Anderson and LB Chris White are not participating. White has not been on the injury report all season. We’ll find out if his absence today is injury related when we talk to head coach Chan Gailey following practice.